‘Bakla, Tomboy’ a gender-sensitive film

It may not be the most-awarded entry in the Metro Manila Film Festival, but never mind; the box office hit “Girl, Boy, Bakla, Tomboy” (already a plus point)  was chosen by the Quezon City Film Development Commission (QCFDC) as the city’s “most gender-sensitive film (mainstream category)” for 2013 (the next plus point).

The movie, directed by Wenn Deramas,  is a co-production of Star Cinema and Viva Films. It  tells the story of quadruplet siblings, all played by Vice Ganda, who grew up in pairs with separated parents. The boy and  girl are  raised by their rich father portrayed by Joey Marquez while the “bakla” and “tomboy” live with their poor mother played by Maricel Soriano.

“Girl, Boy, Bakla, Tomboy” was tapped by the jurors as the most gender sensitive out of the eight  MMFF (Metro Manila Film Festival) entries because it gives importance to the contribution of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and  transsexual) sector in society, and that it shows that LGBTs deserve respect as individuals.

“Kimmy Dora” and “My Little Bossing” were both second choices of the jurors. The comedies showed women overcoming life struggles. Jurors also admired the acting of  KC Concepcion in “Boy Golden”. They also praised “10,000 Hours” for a very smooth action-filled production.  

The QCFDC also awarded two independent films, the “Island Dreams” for the new wave film (full length category), a romantic-comedy movie by Kenau Pictures Productions, and “Hintayin Mo Sa Sequence 24” by Jose Lemuel C. Silvestre of the Far Eastern University for the new wave film (student short category). These independent films were chosen by the jurors because they depicted  empowered women.

The commission was organized by  QC Vice-Mayor Joy Bemonte, known for her commitment to empowering women in the city. Accordingly, the city government will grant the most gender sensitive film winners P 50,000 for the mainstream category, P 5,000 for the full length category, and P 15,000 for the student short category.

The jurors were composed of known personalities from different sectors of society who reviewed all 16 movies including the eight  MMFF entries, five  full length films and three student short category films.  Among jurors were Director William Mayo, Sigrid Andrea Bernardo, Prof. Libay Cantor, Reynaldo Cusi, and actress Harlene Bautista-Tejedor.

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I have not, for a long time, witnessed  a more joyful celebration than that hosted by Evelyn Mamauag-del Rosario on the occasion of her 64th birthday. The previous birthday bashes  had been merry ones, too, we were told. Wearing a fetching bright-red dress, Evelyn was an embodiment of the ideal public relations woman: articulate, charming and witty. It’s no wonder she is considered a treasured asset of Philippine Long Distance Telephone company, where she has worked for decades.

Her gift for gab she inherited from her maternal grandfather, Don Lorenzo C. Nitura, founder of the municipality of Aurora, Isabela, where she was born. An honor student from the grades, she earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Santo Tomas, cum laude, in Manila.

Evelyn joined PLDT’s national traffic operations office a year after graduation, and rose from the ranks to become special assistant to the first vice president of the public affairs office. In the course of her stay at PLDT, she pursued several overseas study grants, including a scholarship program on policies and strategies for aiding urban and rural poor at the Cornell University’s New York state school of international and labor relations,  and participated in various international conferences on labor management, public relations and corporate communication in the US., Australia, and Singapore. 

At present she is senior manager of the PLDT community relations division, which puts her on top of the company’s corporate social responsibility,  which involves interfacing with government’s officialdom, organizing corporate special events such as inaugurals and blessings of new facilities, and evaluating requests for corporate donations, partnering with such networks of stakeholders as the Philippine Business for Social Progress, the PLDT-Smart Foundation, Inc., the University of the Philippines Open University,  Earth Day Network Philippines, and a host of NGOS, academic and socio-civic constituencies.

She is considered a pillar in Philippine public relations practice, having served as president of the Public Relations Society of the Philippines for two terms,  and past chair of the prestigious PRSP Anvil Awards—the PR equivalent of Hollywood’s Oscar.

The whole-day event, held at the Canyon Woods in Tagaytay the other day, had  celebrants and her  favorite friends and relatives from distant places dancing, and feasting on good food. The morning began solemnly, with a concelebrated mass officiated by Evelyn’s “most ,most favorite” retired Archbishop Diosdado Talamayan of Tuguegarao and Archbishop Ramon C. Arguelles of Lipa, assisted by Msgr. Chito Bernardo, Rev. Fr. Rey Ranjo, SDV, and Rev. Fr. Rey Irlandes.

Among the guests were  former PLDT senior executive vice president Atty. Enrique D. Perez and his wife;  Evelyn’s  mother, Asuncion Nitura Mamuag, Connie Tacorda, Architect and Mrs. Arnold David, balikbayan friends from  the  US Roger and Irene Dayrit, Angelo and Nette Flores, Beth Enciso, the Dominican Sisters, Holy Spirit Congregation,and Fransiscan Apostolic sisters and the Tuesday Prayer group led by Tita San Buenaventura.

Evelyn’s  brother Rex recited a heartwarming poem of gratitude while her sister,  Dr. Marlie Jane Mamuag, a neuro surgeon based in Singapore, helped organize the program with co-emcee/friend Betty Lou Penera, former director of the Philippine Information Agency,

 The party was enlivened by the surprise number from stage and mezzo soprano Dr. Terry Somera, who trained in Italy and sang a duet opera number with Archbishop Diosdado Talamayan.  Mike and Cristina Bichara, a BFF of the celebrant, danced  a  â€œmean boogie,” while the Dominican Sisters of Lipa gave a unique song/dance number.  

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Congratulations to my Silliman University  contemporaries lawyer Emilio C. Capulong Jr. and the former  Araceli Barcelona for hitting the golden wedding anniversary mark two weeks ago. As the emcee at the  reception held at Deng Hao, Calamba restaurant announced, not very many couples say together, and in love, for 50 years.

Emil is one of the founding directors of  Bantayog ng Katarungan, a human rights organization led by former Sen. Jovito Salonga, a member of the World Alliance Communion of Reformed Churches, and the national chair of the Protestant Lawyer’s League of the Philippines.  Araceli, a nurse by training, once served as president of the National Women’s Christian Association.

A highlight of the celebration was the soiree of light classical pieces and kundimans  rendered by the renowned tenor Ramon “Montet” Acoymo and lyric-colaratura soprano Monaliza P. Darao.

Toasting the happy couple were Emil’s kinakapatid  Nieves N. Cava, Judge Max de Leon, and Emil’s brother, theology professor Noriel Capulong.      Among the          guests were Atty. Raul Victorino, dean of the College of Law of Phiippine Christian University; Congressman Joaquin Chipeco (2nd District, Laguna), Calamba Mayor Timmy  Chipeco, Atty. Raul Pangalangan and wife Beth Pangalangan, and  Bishop Reuel Norman O. Marigza, secretary-general of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines.

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